The Princess & The Donut
by DiDi Knight
Summary: Blair is still in Monaco planning a royal wedding. But is royal life all it's cracked up to be? Dan, is still in Brooklyn  for now , more alone than ever.
1. Movie Queue

**Chapter 1**

Blair is in her royal chambers at Louis' castle in Monaco. The walls are adorned with emblems painted with the purest gold. An exquisite Monet that Louis recently acquired for her is hanging over her bed. Blair is sitting in the middle of the gigantic room plopped down in tired heap surrounded by dresses. Chanel had sent over a gown in the most divine shade of antique rose. Alexander McQueen sent her a copy of Pippa Middleton's maid of honor dress in turquoise. Why that silly designer thought Blair would wear something someone else already wore was beyond her. What were these designers thinking? She was Blair Waldorf. True, she was a commoner by royal standards but she was about to become a princess in a few short months. That was every girl's fantasy right? To be like Kate Middleton? But she had no time to be "princessy." She was always at these royal appearances. Some of them were just downright ridiculous! Was it really necessary that she attend the grand opening of a booth selling coconut head figurines? Louis said it was important to connect to the people, that public service was a privilege. But coconuts that looked like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie was not on the agenda she had imagined. Plus, where was Henry-the-coconut-guy able to find coconuts in Monaco? Although, there had been a coconut that looked a lot like Dan that she couldn't resist buying.

"Miss Blair…" Dorota started.

"Dorota! How many times have I told you I purchased that Humphrey of a coconut as a joke! I simply wanted to mail to Dan so he could see what he's going to look like in 50 years!" shouted Blair.

"But Miss Blair," Dorota continued…."we were not talking about Lonely Boy and his likeness to funny coconut. Maybe you mistake the voices in your head. Is stress of the wedding perhaps. How about this dress called the 'Pip-pa'?"

"I WILL NOT LOOK LIKE A COMMON COMMONER WHO DANCES HER AROUND IN HER BRA WHEN SHE HAD DOWNTIME" said Blair. "I need you to…..oh! Your Majesty! How are you this morning?"

"Quite fine Blair," said Princess Sophia as she waltzed into Blair's bedroom. "Have you decided on an appropriate gown for tonight? I do hope you go with the gown Alexander McQueen sent over. It has such a simple and elegant silhouette."

"Of course Your Majesty! I just about to try it on one more time to make a final decision" Blair rushes to say as Dorota rolls her eyes.

"And Blair," continued Princess Sophia, "you have been doing very well with our princess lessons. I am very impressed with how well-read you are and it is one of the attributes I like most about you. I need you to pay close attention to me. At the gala tonight is a man named Carver St. James. He is a very important figure in Monaco's government and has made life difficult for my poor Louis since your engagement. You must make sure you impress him. He despises Americans, but loves American literature."

"That doesn't make sense," Blair thought aloud. "How does that even work?"

"Blair, do not ask me to explain what's in the mind of Carver St. James. Regardless, I have brought you some recently published works by American authors that have received wonderful reviews for their brilliance. Make sure you read them by tomorrow. Carver St. James is staying at the palace for a week after tonight's gala and tomorrow night he has requested to dine with you alone at dinner " said Princess Sophia.

"By tomorrow? But that's impossible! There's five books here" shouted Blair.

"Blair, if you have time to buy badly carved coconuts like that funny one that looks like that Don Humfy I met in New York, surely you have time to read a few books," said Princess Sophia with disappointment and disdain.

"It's _Dan Humphrey_, and the books won't be a problem," said Blair through clenched teeth.

"Good. I'm glad. And do start with the first book. I myself read the few chapters and found it quite enjoyable, even though I think American literature is poorly written. See you tonight at the gala in that beautiful turquoise Alexander McQueen gown. I forgot to mention, Pippa Middleton will be attending as well, and she mentioned she would love to meet you because you are a girl with such a unique sense of style." After her final goodbyes, Princess Sophia glided out of the room, leaving Dorota petrified for the imminent outburst she knew Blair would have.

Blair tried her best to control her anger. She silently walked over the books and hastily grabbed the first book from the stack of books Princess Sophia had left for her. She fingered the title. "_Inside_" by Davis Hunter.

**Chapter 2**

Later that night after the gala….

"Humphrey," giggled Blair, "since when do you have _Roman Holiday_ in your movie queue?"

"Well, I was going to go with an old classic like _Dr. Strangelove _but I know you love your Audrey Hepburn and who am I to deny a future princess her Hepburn fix?" retorted Dan.

"Well Humphrey, I'm surprised you lasted through the whole movie. I used to dream about _Roman Holiday_ all the time, but I haven't dreamt about it since Chuck was in it," replied Blair.

"Ch-Ch-Chuck? You still dream about Chuck?" stuttered Dan.

Oh no! How could she let that slip out! She was tempted to bang the phone against her head.

"What are you the dream police Humphrey? You mean to tell me you don't still dream about Serena?" Wow, when Blair said Serena, she didn't realize she said her name in such an angry tone.

"Dream police, that's a lame comeback Blair, even for you" said Dan with uncontrollable laughter.

After Dan stifled his laughter, he said to Blair "Well, why don't you tell me about your dream. Maybe your dream had an underlying message."

"What? Are you trying to be a therapist?" replied Blair.

"Well Waldorf, as much as it pains me to admit, I actually have grown to understand that convoluted brain of yours" said Dan.

"Ok then. Well I was Audrey Hepburn and my hair was short like she had cut it in the movie. Louis was Gregory Peck. We were driving around on his motorcycle. All of a sudden, its Chuck instead of Louis and I get surprised and scared and he has this creepy evil look in his eye," said Blair quickly.

"All right….let the great Dan Humphrey do his thought provoking dream analysis. Ok, well Roman Holiday is about someone who is royalty and a commoner who basically distract themselves around town and fall in love, even if they know they can't end up together. So in a way, you're actually Gregory Peck and Louis is actually Audrey Hepburn," starts Dan.

Dan continued on, "But you like to create your own movie endings. So in your dream version of Roman Holiday, Audrey and Gregory beat the odds and end up together. I think the reason Chuck appeared in your dream was because that's what you thought your destiny was. Audrey's character knew her destiny was to become queen and she wouldn't have been taken seriously if she married a commoner because she lived in a different time and that's why she knew she couldn't be with Gregory's character. In your dream, you felt like you couldn't end up with Louis at the end because your destiny lied with Chuck."

"Dan, you do know I'm getting married to Louis and it sounds like you're trying to convince me that I should be with Chuck," retorted Blair.

"NO THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEAN. Um…..I mean, no that's not what I mean. Roman Holiday is about a couple is a self-enclosed dream world. Because you've always thought you and Chuck belonged together, you overlooked everything he ever did or said. You knew he wasn't good for you but you felt like you weren't good enough for someone else to love you. When dream Blair saw dream Chuck in the dream, she panicked and felt scared. Dream Chuck saw that and he didn't care, he continued to go down a dangerous path," finished Dan.

"Dan…..do you think I'm making a mistake by marrying Louis because I should be with Chuck?" asked Blair in a whisper.

Blair had asked a question that scared Dan. He thought she shouldn't be with Chuck because he was ruining Blair. She was a beautiful inquisitive woman. He found something new to love about her every day. When she was with Chuck, she turned in the female-version of Chuck Bass. But he also didn't think she should be with the Prince. True, he was good-looking. He was smart and kind and really loved Blair. And yea, he was a Prince. But he didn't love Blair like Dan loved Blair. Dan loved the fact that Blair was a total Upper East Sider but she had this enormous heart. She put on a tough-girl act but deep down, she wanted to be liked for her good heart, not her power.

"Well Blair, I'm going to be honest with you. I think you feel attached to Chuck because he was a big part of your life. You two grew up together, well you did anyways, the same can't be said about Chuck. He loved you when you thought no one else was capable of loving him and you loved him when he thought he wasn't worthy of anyone's love because he hadn't had his father's or mother's love or approval. I know I'm rambling but you need to listen to me. I'm not saying you didn't love him or he didn't love you. But your genuine love for him turned into obligated love. You were so focused on Blair and Chuck and Chuck and Blair that that was all you could see. It might have been a great love but was in great in all areas?" said Dan.

"What do you mean? What the heck is 'It might have been a great love?' What do you mean 'if' it was 'great in all areas'?" asked Blair.

"What I'm saying is when you love someone, you love their character, their personality, their mind, their quirks, their good parts, their bad parts, and their looks of course. You have to be attracted to them emotionally, intellectually, and physically. You have to ask yourself, did you love Chuck in every way or just in some ways?" asked Dan.

"I don't know anymore. I always thought I would know who I'm meant to be with when I find a guy who makes me feel safe. I never felt safe with Chuck. I always felt like I had to watch my back. Louis makes me feel safe but sometimes I feel like I'm too safe," said Blair.

"Well maybe you need a third option," said Dan jokingly (but totally serious at the same time).

"You could always make me laugh Humphrey. Hey Humphrey, have you read a book called _Inside_ by Davis Hunter? Princess Sophia wants me to read it to impress some hoity toity politician. I'm probably going to start it when I get off the phone with you," said Blair.

"Well, you don't have to read that. I read a book review on it. It didn't seem that interesting. Why don't you read _Twilight_ instead?" said Dan in a rushed voice.

"I doubt I will impress a member of the Monaco government by quoting _Twilight_. Hey can you tell me what's new on Gossip Girl? Since that whole debacle with Serena printing GG postings and giving them to my future mother-in-law, GG is banned here in Monaco so the public can't look information on my past life," said Blair.

"Blair I don't read Gossip Girl, that's for chicks," replied Dan.

"Geez Humphrey you can be so difficult sometimes. Well you've wasted enough of my time. Same time next week?" asked Blair.

"Most definitely. Good night," said Dan.

Dan gazed on his computer screen. He hadn't left his loft since the GG blast from this morning.

_Good morning! Gossip Girl here. It seems that Lonely Boy is the famous Davis Hunter. Well I labeled him the ultimate insider, I didn't think I would be passing my crown and title to him. But now he is truly the prince of the UES. Out of all the new information coming out of his hot-of-the-press bestseller book is something I'd love to share with you. It seems that Davis Hunter is in love with a girl named Bethany Walden. Apparently, and I quote, "Davis used to see Bethany as everything he hated about the UES distilled into one 95-pound, doe-eyed, bon-mot tossing, label-whoring package of girly evil. Now he sees them as Elizabeth and Darcy, from Bethany's favorite book, __Pride and Prejudice__. They were both too prideful to admit that he could love a girl who was associated with upper society and that she could love a boy who wasn't born into money. There were both too prejudice against the other's upbringing to realize that's why they meshed so well." Hmmmmmm….Davis Hunter loves Bethany Walden. Or, to be as accurate as possible, Dan Humphrey loves Blair Waldorf. _


	2. Inside

**Chapter 3**

**Blair finally sat down to read Dan's book, not knowing it's written by him when he first starts reading it. She read it without stopping, not even to munch on the macaroons Louis had delivered to her room. Finally she was on the last chapter. Let's see what she's reading so intently.**

**Inside: By Davis Hunter**

**Chapter: 23**

_There's nothing like being alone to make you recount every single excruciating moment of your life. Alone in his loft in Brooklyn, Davis sat replaying all of his relationships in his head. Sabrina popped into his mind first. Davis had been so obsessed with the idea of who he thought she was that it took him much too long to figure out who she really was. You would think he would have learned his lesson the first time she strung him on instead of letting her do it again every time she got lonely or bored. He thought she was a perfect girl with a heart of gold who was above the upper-east-siders. He didn't even learn his lesson after Sabrina made him and Nicholas wait all summer for her to come back from Rome and pick between the two of them. Even when he was developing feelings for Bethany, he had feelings for Sabrina. The moment he knew he wanted Bethany and only Bethany was when she had showed up at his loft in the middle of the night and they fell asleep watching a movie together. He woke up in the middle of the night, with his arms wrapped around them. He looked at her and just knew he belonged to her. He never felt like that about Sabrina. He had dated other girls like Ms. Coyne, Vivian, and Oana to get over Sabrina, but it never worked. Even when he was dating them, he would always run to bail Sabrina out of her messes. But looking at Bethany in his arms, he knew he didn't want to save Sabrina anymore. He wanted Bethany._

_Davis was ashamed of himself. How could he have allowed Bethany to think the kiss between them really meant nothing? He grew panicked, what if she was lying when she was the first to say it meant nothing? What if she was testing him? What if she wanted to know if he would fight for her? What if she wanted to know that he would fight for her instead of selling her for a hotel like Cornelius did? What if she had feelings for him but because he lied and told her he didn't, she chose Prince Leopold? Well….it didn't matter anymore. She probably would have picked Prince Leopold anyways because he was everything Davis was not. He was good-looking, he adored Bethany, and to top it off he was a prince. Davis had no way to compete with him. _

_Then again, he remembered a line from one of Bethany's movies, __Roman Holiday__, "She's fair game. It's always open season on princesses." Feeling confidant, Davis packs his bags and hails a cab to the airport and hours later, he's sitting in a plan waiting for his plane take off to Europe. In the end, Davis learned how to live. He wasn't going to live his life watching from the sidelines anymore. As the plane took off, Davis made a silent promise to himself. He wasn't going to live as an outsider anymore. He was going to live INSIDE of the world he found himself in. He wasn't going to run away from life anymore, and he wasn't going to run away from love either._

_**-THE END-**_

Blair stared at the last few lines for at least an hour. He wasn't going to run away from love anymore? Dan loved her? I mean, it was Dan who wrote this book. He may be a brilliant author but he was still an idiot who would have his pen name match the initials of own name and have the characters' names start the same letter as their real-life counterparts. She had no idea he really felt this way. Then again, she shouldn't get too ahead of herself, authors were authors. They don't always write the truth, they weave webs of exaggerated fantasies to make for interesting books. She was sure he added the part about Bethany as a plot-twist. People reading the book thought Davis would end with Sabrina, not her best friend. After years of chasing Sabrina, the audience didn't think he would choose Bethany OVER Sabrina. People always chose Sabrina first. She was the one who always had everything. Blair continued to think. She was sure it was just a STORY because its not like Dan had actually hopped on a plane to Monaco to profess his love for her. She had nothing to worry about. He just used her as his muse to write a great ending to a great book. Blair turned off her lamp and went to sleep, thinking of her dinner with Carver St. James the next day.

Meanwhile, in Brooklyn, Dan was wandering aimlessly around his loft. He was starting to feel like a hermit. His father was still hurt for Dan labeling him a "trophy husband" in the book. Nate was upset for Dan calling him a "indecisive pothead." Chuck was upset because he wrote about the fire involving Bart Bass and Russell Thorpe. Jenny was…..well when was Jenny NOT upset at someone. And Serena. Wow. Dan didn't think Serena would ever speak to him again. Dan felt like he was being quarantined. The only people still speaking to him were Eric and Blair. And Blair would stop speaking to him as soon as she finished that book. She would know he was in love with her and cut ties with him because she was in love with Prince Louis.

But what if she weren't mad? What if reading the book was what she needed to hear? Everything he wrote in that book was true. That is, except the last part of him getting off to Europe to claim his princess. He had written that in because it was what he fantasized about. With that, Dan stood up and decided to take his own advice. He wasn't going to run away from love or life anymore.

_***Gossip Girl here! It seems that our little black sheep Lonely Boy is just arriving at the airport. Where will his destination be? Perhaps to California to try to win Serena back AGAIN? Or to Monaco, where he would be trying to win a lost-cause? We'll see what tomorrow brings. XoXo, Gossip Girl****_


	3. Serena ugh

**Chapter 4**

We find Dan asleep at terminal 5. A cell phone begins to ring and he wakes up startled.

**Dan**: Hmmmm (he says sleepily)….hello?

**Serena**: Hey Dan! When are you landing?

**Dan**: You're in Monaco too? I thought you were still in Cali?

**Serena**: Why would I be in Monaco? Wait…are you going to go see….BLAIR?

**Dan**: Yes I am going to see Blair. How do you even know I'm leaving Manhattan?

**Serena**: Gossip Girl put a post that you were spotted at the airport. And I -

**Dan**: You assumed I was coming to see you. Geez, Serena. You honestly thought I couldn't last a whole summer without seeing you? Nothing everything's about you, not everyone is dying to see you, and you're not everybody's first choice.

**Serena**: Dan you don't have to be so cruel about it. I'm not the one who published a book that said, "_In the end, Davis saw all he had with Sabrina was a physical attraction. She was emotionally dead, she thought about no one but herself. She wasn't capable of being a strong independent woman, she always had to have a man by her side. It was all about what could make her happier, what could make her more powerful. He wanted a woman of substance, someone who complete him, and Sabrina wasn't it_."

**Dan**: Serena…

**Serena**: You basically called me an idiotic emotionless slut in front of all of Manhattan.

**Dan**: Serena, I've told you I'm sorry that the book got published. But I'm not sorry for what I said.

**Serena**: I'm sure you wrote it because you were upset that I couldn't choose between you and Nate but I know what I want now Dan. I want you. We get married, we can live on our own and everything will be ok. I'll forgive you for everything.

**Dan**: Serena. I don't want you anymore. When you love someone, you see them the way you want to. I thought you were this perfect girl from this perfect world but you turned out to be a two-faced girl living in her own little world.

**Serena**: You sound like Blair.

**Dan**: Thank you.

**Serena**: You're making a mistake. She's not going to leave Louis for you. I know Blair, she wants the best, and in her eyes, that's not you.

**Dan**: Yea you might be right. She might have be thrown in the dungeon or something but I can't go to her wedding and watch her marry someone else when I know Louis can't make her happy like I can.

**Serena**: Bye Dan. Good luck.

**Dan**: You don't mean that.

**Serena**: I know

*click*

**Director**: Serena baby, you ready for your next take dollface?

**Serena**: Actually….I have to go home….

Serena rushes off set.

**Director**: Ugh! This dumb young actresses! They get one small movie role and all of a sudden think they can act like divas and storm off my set!

_***Gossip Girl here. It seems that our little Serena is arriving at LAX airport. Is our UES darling returning home to be a dutiful cousin to dear cousin Charlie or is she heading off to Monaco to offer Blair some maid of honor services? XoXo, Gossip Girl***_

**Chapter 5**

**Lily**: Serena darling! It's so wonderful to have you home again! I know poor Charlie has missed you!

**Serena**: Aunt Carol still hasn't returned Charlie's calls?

**Lily**: No, and I just don't understand why Carol is so upset about Charlie's pregnancy. She was pregnant out of wedlock too.

**Serena**: Charlie still hasn't said who the father is?

**Lily**: No, and Carol moved all of her trust fund money into a separate account.

**Serena**: Can she even do that? The account was in Charlie's name!

**Lily**: I don't know Serena. It's easy to influence people at the banks.

**Serena**: I know, you of all people should know how to manipulate the legal system.

**Lily**: How I've missed your sense of humor my dutiful daughter. So what happened to that big movie in Hollywood?

**Serena**: I've decided I'm not cut out to be an actress. Besides, I miss Blair and I was thinking of going to help Blair out with some wedding planning. She's going through a lot of stress and she needs me.

**Lily**: Is this really about Blair or going to chaperone Daniel and Blair?

**Serena**: Dan? What do you mean?

**Lily**: Serena don't play games with me. I know Daniel left for Monaco. He called Rufus from the airport and left him a voice-mail. And I'm pretty sure we all know why he's in Monaco. He's been depressed all summer, I've never seen him this way.

**Serena**: Of course you've seen him that way, he was always upset when me and him weren't together.

**Lily**: Darling, I think it's time you move on and accept that perhaps you and Daniel are not meant for each other in the long-run.

**Serena**: I don't have to accept anything. I'm going to Monaco. Try to stop me…oh right….you can't because you're under house arrest!

As Serena prepared to leave for Monaco, Dan arrives in Monaco. As he lands, he wonders if he fully thought his plan through. What was he going to say to Blair once he saw her? Were the palace guards going to accuse him of treason for attempting to steal the fiancé of Prince Louis? And the most pressing issue on his mind, how was he going to _see_ Blair? It wasn't like he could ring the doorbell and say, "hello, might I see the future Mrs. Louis?" He had nothing done anything so spontaneous, it was exciting and scary at the same time.

So during his first night in Monaco, Dan found a hotel to stay at and spent the whole night planning what he going to say to Blair. The people next door probably thought he was a crazy lunatic talking to himself.

During Dan's meltdown, Blair began to get ready for her private dinner with Carver St. James. She still had Dan's book on her mind. What was she suppose to say to Carver St. James if he brought up the book? Its one thing to have a book discussion and its another thing to discuss a book that's about you. "Whatever," Blair thought. She didn't have time to deal with this, she had to get dressed for dinner.


	4. An Illuminating Dinner

**Chapter 6**

"Miss Waldorf," began Carver St. James, I do hope you don't think I'm being presumptuous, but I'm sure we both know the reason I called you here tonight."

Blair bit her lip nervously and began speaking quickly, "Mr. St. James, I know you think I'm just a distraction for Prince Louis but I care about him very deeply. I want nothing more than to marry him and serve the people alongside him. I know you might feel that I wouldn't be able to handle the royal duties that comes with being a princess and the wife of a future king but I can assure you that I've grown to love this country."

"I am a very good judge of character Miss Waldorf. I think you're more interested in playing dress up rather than taking a serious role in government," St. James snarled back.

"Well you know what, it doesn't really matter what you think. Louis proposed to me, Princess Sophia gave us her blessing, and Louis was granted permission to marry me and STILL be king. So I highly doubt you'll really take you seriously. So I really don't care what you think of me or think you know of me," Blair spewed out with clenched fists.

"Now, now Miss Waldorf. I may have underestimated you, but I still don't think you're worthy of being the future queen of Monaco. But do you truly love His Royal Majesty or do you love the idea of him?" asked St. James in hushed tones.

Blair grew sick to her stomach. It was question she asked herself every day; was just loving Louis enough? Yes, she did love him. But she didn't get any butterflies when he walked into a room. And you know when you are crazy about someone and then someone else mentions their name and you start smiling uncontrollably? She didn't do that. Maybe it was nerves about the wedding. After all, she was making a major change in her life. She wasn't just becoming a wife, she was becoming a princess. She was moving somewhere NOT in America! What she and Louis had was "comfortable." She knew what to expect. Blair noticed St. James staring at her.

"Miss Waldorf? Are you quite all right? You don't look too well" said St. James with his eyebrows raised. Secretly, he was smiling to himself. This girl was having doubts about Louis. It was obvious that with some counseling, this girl would leave Louis on her own.

"Yes, yes Mr. St James. I apologize. I was up late last night until about 3:00 a.m. and I think I've developed a slight headache" responded Blair. Yes, that's what it was. She was thinking irrationally because she was suffering from lack of sleep.

"Staying up until 3:00 in the morning is inappropriate behavior for a princess-to-be. Pray tell, what were you doing?" sniped St. James.

"I am reading a book! What? Are you going to accuse me of treason? Would you like me to fetch Dorota as a witness? I'll happily oblige if that's what it takes to quell your concerns" Blair said back hotly.

St. James scoffed and replied, "You don't strike me as the literate type. What were you reading at that hour? Harry Potter?" St. James burst out into deep belly laughs.

Blair felt like she was losing her mind. St. James was being so insufferable. Couldn't he see that she was Blair Waldorf? It's not like she was Serena. She was actually well-bred AND intelligent. Quickly without realizing it, she quickly blurted out the name of Dan's book. Immediately, her eyes opened wide. She hadn't wanted to bring up Dan and his book. Blair was trying so hard to forget the words she had read.

Silently, she groaned to herself. With her eyes closed, the pages seemed to flash before her eyes. She saw words and phrases like, "she satisfies me completely," "it hurts me when I see in her pain, it hurts when I see her settling with men who cause her pain," "she has completely changed my life," "every other girl, even Sabrina, pales in comparison with her," and "Davis' love for Bethany was a unexpected, yet thrilling journey, a journey that starts at forever and ends at never."

"_INSIDE_? I loved that novel! It was so beautifully well written! The author captured his characters' emotions so well! Right away I knew from the first chapter that Davis would fall in love with Bethany in the end and see Sabrina as she truly was! My favorite aspect of the book was that he left the ending open-ended. It's quite boring when authors give you a clear painted ending. The way Davis Hunter ended the book was brilliant! It allows the reader to create their own ending," squealed St. James, "and besides, in my head Davis and Bethany end up together in the end" he continued, with a wink.

Blair's eyes widened in surprise. "Hmm," thought Blair, "Princess Sophia was right when he said he was a fanatic of American literature." She was trying not to laugh in his face because he sounded so much like a _Twilight_-loving middle school girl.

Blair knew this the moment to impress St. James; she would have him eating out of the palm of her hand. She began twirling a piece of her perfectly blow-out hair and leaned forward towards St James. Biting her lip, she whispered, "Do you want to know a little secret? I actually know the author; he's a close personal friend of mine and a former classmate." Seeing a look of admiration flash across St. James' face, Blair knew he had finally warmed up to her.

"B-b-but, how can that be? The author had a pen-name" said St. James.

"Well since the book was basically an expose, my friend Dan Humphrey wanted to publish it anonymously," started Blair. She knew there was nothing better than gossip to cement a newly minted friendship so she continued on, "Dan is brilliant. He's always been a great author but he made the fatal mistake of having his friends and characters' names start with same letter. Get it? Davis Hunter? Dan Humphrey? Sabrina Vivian Wendt? Serena Van Der Woodsen? It's obvious."

St. James scoffed. He can't believe he had allowed himself to be fooled by this snarky little girl who was pretending to play princess. "That sounds like a theory you just made up right now. Do you honestly think I'm that gullible?"

Blair quickly said, "Mr. St. James, I can assure you I would never do that. I happen to know because I knew he was writing the book! And besides, it was all over Gossip Girl that Dan revealed a lot of secrets from the UES." She had lied about knowing about the book but what St. James didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

"What is Gossip Girl? Is that that insipid crude blog that Prince Louis wanted banned here in Monaco because it showcases why you are unfit to be a princess?" said St. James.

Her frustration was growing. She just couldn't win with this guy. Before she could open her mouth, St. James jumped in again.

"Miss Waldorf….I know you've had a past and I'm still going to keep my eye on you but I think you have potential. You're like a rough stone that has to be polished. But, if you have distinguishable friends like Mr. Dan Humphrey, then there's hope for you yet. May I ask you a personal question?" asked St. James.

Blair restrained from rolling her eyes. After a whole night of asking anything he pleased, it was interesting he choose to finally ask permission to ask a question. "Yes," she replied meekly.

"What happened with you and Mr. Humphrey?" asked St. James. Short and to the point.

Blair had definitely not expected that. She choked on her crème brulee and looked up and him in surprise. A lady-in-waiting quickly rushed to her side to offer her a napkin and hand her a glass of water. "What?" she asked in a high pitched voice.

"Well if what you say about the initials is true, then that means Bethany Walden would be Blair Waldorf," St. James sincerely asked without sarcasm.

"In all honestly, Dan never said anything to me about loving me, or even seeing me as more than a friend. I think Dan wrote it just to have well-written ending," said Blair.

"Maybe he tried to tell you but you couldn't hear him," said St. James gently. A wistful look appeared over his face. "Blair," he said, "take it from someone who lost the love of his life due to fear, sometimes it's hard to tell a woman you love and desire her when she is with someone who can offer her everyone the former can't."

"Are you talking about Princess Sophia?" Blair asked gently.

A sorrowful smile passed on St. James' face. He swallowed before he answered and asked Blair how she knew.

"Mr. St. James, I've seen you watch her. I've seen you mesmerized when she runs her fingers through her hair. I've seen you light up when she walks into the room," Blair said.

"I loved –and still love –Sophia. She was my best friend growing up. When King Albert was growing up, he refused to do the traditional home-schooling that a prince of Monaco usually receives. But his protection was in peril if he attended a public –or even private –school. But Albert usually got his way and his parents ending up forming a small school at the palace, with about 10 other children from families from prestigious families. That's how Albert and I grew so close. When he proposed to Sophia, it tore me apart but I couldn't bring myself to tell her how I felt about her. We had never had a courtship. We had never even shared a kiss or held hands. Who was I to tear her away from becoming a princess? She loved Albert, and still does, even though he has passed away" said St. James.

"I'm sorry," Blair started gently, "I know how it is to love someone and not understand why they don't love you in the right way in return."

"Thank you Blair," smiled St. James sadly, "you are a sweet girl."

"Mr. St. James, can I ask you something? When you said that you knew Davis would fall in love with Bethany from the book's first chapter, what made you think that?" Blair asked nervously while tapping her foot.

"Well, I think it was a true love story. I'm not a believer of love at first sight because it seems very superficial to me. That describes Davis' and Sabrina's relationship. I believe true love is something that grows. Davis saw Bethany as everything he hated about high-class New York society epitomized into a single girl but he saw that she didn't become like that because she was naturally a bad person, she became that why because she had a mother who tore her self-esteem apart, a best friend who valued their friendship because she knew Bethany couldn't top her, a first love who didn't value her for who she was, and a great love who tore her apart," said St. James.

"And Blair….don't think he used that ending as entertainment. He just wrote what he wished would have happened," St. James said gently, as if he were speaking to his own daughter.

"It sounds as if you're trying to make me rethink my engagement to Louis," said Blair skeptically.

"Blair…I just don't want you to end me like me; a man married to a woman he doesn't really love because he lost his true love. Whether you end up with Prince Louis, Dan Humphrey, or that dreadful Calvin Buckner, I just want you to choose someone for _you_, stressed St. James.

Blair and St. James finished their dinner silently. When Blair rose from the table, St. James quietly walked over to her and kissed her gently on the cheek and brushed away a strand of hair off her face and walked quietly out of the room.

After taking a few moments to gather her thoughts, Blair walked to her room. When she entered, she found her bed already turned down and Dorota sitting at the armoire.

"Dorota, you didn't have to wait up for me. I'm sure you want to get back to your husband and baby," said Blair.

"Miss Blair….Dan phoned for you. He is here, in Monaco," started Dorota. Before she could finish, Blair passed out, falling onto her soft and voluminous bed.


	5. A Brush with the Past

**Chapter 7**

"Blair, Blair, are you alright?" Prince Louis cried out.

Blair's eyes fluttered open, she looked around and saw Dorota on her left and Louis on her right. She saw Louis staring at her with eyes full of concern and then she asked Dorota to leave so she could be alone with Louis. After Dorota left, Louis grabbed Blair into an embrace and began stroking her away.

Blair pulled away from Louis and said, "Louis, were your mother and father happy?"

"My parents' happiness is what made you faint? Blair, are you sure you don't want me to get the doctor for you?" Louis sweetly asked.

"Louis I'm fine. Can you please tell me?" she said as the looked up at Louis with puppy dog eyes.

"Of course they were happy, they loved each other very very much and my mother made my father very happy," Louis said very cautiously.

"Then can I ask you something" asked Blair quietly. She didn't want to upset Louis but she wanted to know.

"Yes Blair, or course," replied Louis.

"When your father became King, why didn't your mother become Queen? Why did she choose to keep the title of princess?" asked Blair carefully.

"Blair, at our engagement party in New York, I told you that you could tell me anything and I would still love you. So, I'm going to do the same," Louis started, "my parents were very happy during the first few years of their marriage. My grandparents had approved of my mother because she wasn't a commoner. While I was growing up, it was obvious to me that they loved each other but it seemed like there was a small part in each of them that belonged to someone else. My father had an affair shortly after I was born with a woman named Ghislaine. Before he had married my mother, he had been deeply in love with Ghislaine but my grandmother disapproved of her. When my mother found about my father was disgracing their marriage, she fell into depression. When my grandfather died and my father took the throne, my mother told me when I was older that she couldn't see herself as his Queen. They told the public that she didn't want to have the title of Queen because she was not born a princess but, rather became one through marriage and it was her personal belief that a Queen had to be a born-princess. It's always considered a scandal if a royal couple get divorced so my parents stayed together but their relationship was different."

"Oh Louis, I'm so sorry you had to go through that," Blair spoke softly, while reaching for his hand.

"It is okay Blair, it's one of the reasons why my mother was so hard on you in the beginning. She saw you and Chuck and it brought back memories of my father and Ghislaine. She loves me very much and did not want me to go through the same pain she did," Louis responded.

"Me and Chuck are different. I did love him Louis but I loved him too much. I loved him so much that I blinded myself and overlooked everything he did to hurt me. I thought we had a "great love" but sometimes people confuse intense passion with great love. I was able to really let Chuck go when I realized that he loved me, but he didn't really truly love me. He loved me because I was the one constant in his life that was always there to support him and because he saw how attached I was to him, he treated me terribly because he knew I wouldn't leave him, that I wouldn't abandon him. But now I see someone who loves you will never place a business deal over you and never physically hurt you, intentionally or not," Blair said in a rush.

She had never opened up to Louis so much but she felt she had to say it. She was still reeling from guilt that she had cheated on Louis with Chuck. Princess Sophia had been right about her all along. Blair looked at Louis, he was sitting there so vulnerable and it was so obvious that he loved and when she looked at him, she didn't have any passion in her heart. It wasn't because she had feelings for Chuck. After saying goodbye to Chuck and telling him she would always love him, she realized it was true, she would always love him but not in the same way. She would love him because of the place he had in her past but she didn't have feelings of romantic love towards him anymore.

"I love you Blair," said Louis. He then gently wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed her daintily on the cheek.

After Louis left, Blair picked up the phone and dialed a number off a piece of paper.

"HUMPHREY!" screamed Blair into her telephone.

"Blair? Is that you," Dan asked in surprise.

"Of course it's me! Who else would it be?" Blair replied.

"Ok….I don't know where you're going with this….but I'm assuming Dorota gave you my message?" Dan asked cautiously.

"So is it true? Are you really here in Monaco?" asked Blair.

"I'm afraid if I answer yes you'll lunge through the telephone and wring my neck" Dan chuckled.

"Well, _why_ are you here?" Blair whispered almost inaudibly. She was sitting on her bed wringing her pillow between her hands. Was Dan here to finish what he started in his book?

"I heard there are a lot of cute girls in Monaco so I came to judge myself," Dan whispered back jokingly.

"Cute girls? What girls? What is wrong with you! All the girls here are freakishly tall and don't believe in shaving their armpits," Blair snapped in a jealous tone. Before she continued on, she clamped her hand over mouth.

"I guess I was misinformed," Dan answered, "so when can I check out your royal digs?"

"My what? Oh…um….well Louis isn't always home. He's always in meetings or at functions. So I don't really know when he was some free time open," said Blair.

"Louis doesn't have to be there, I came to see _you_," Dan said.

"I thought you came to check out cute girls Humphrey," said Blair.

"I guess I'll have to settle for you then Waldorf," said Dan.

"Hey! If you must know, I'm quite a catch, I'm going to become a princess you know," said Blair.

It was like she had punched him in the stomach. Dan knew Blair was serious about Louis. He truly was torn about what to do. After seeing everything Chuck put Blair through, he wanted Blair to truly be happy. But it seemed that Blair was settling for a loveless marriage. Without realizing it, Dan blurted out, "yea, a princess with a MIA fiancé."

There was a moment of silence on the phone. Dan realized he had spoken a little bit like Chuck.

"Dan…he's busy. Unlike us, he actually has real responsibilities. He can't be with me 24/7. He loves me, that's all that matters," Blair snared back.

"I'm sure he does Blair. I don't doubt that he loves you. Look, I'm sorry. Does this mean I'm uninvited from the palace?" Dan answered, half joking and half hoping Blair wouldn't have him kicked out of Monaco.

"Tonight at 6:00. Dress appropriately. I don't want people to think I'm friends with a bum from New York, oh sorry let me correct myself, BROOKLYN. I'll send the car service after you," Blair answered quickly before she could change her mind.

After their goodbyes, Blair stood up and walked over to her mirror. She was determined to prove to herself that Dan did not love her.


	6. Dan's Initiation

After walking around the streets of Monaco, Dan returned to his hotel room and settled down into the musty old armchair and took out his laptop. He and his father hadn't really talked like they used to in weeks but there was something that Dan had to get off his chest. After minutes of fidgeting, he began to type out an e-mail message to Rufus:

Hey Dad. I know I'm probably the last person you want to hear from but you need to know something. I know my book is very judgmental of you and Lily and everyone one else but you need to know I was writing as an outsider who suddenly found himself on the inside. I made assumptions about people based on watching them from the outside. Once I saw that people from the UES weren't as shallow and corrupt as I had thought (at least some of them anyways), I didn't want to publish the book anymore. The whole manuscript was essentially my private diary that Vanessa decided to turn into a very public debacle. I'm sorry that you had to find out that way that I thought it was a mistake that you married Lily. It's not my place to tell you who you should or shouldn't be with. Just like it wasn't your place to tell me Blair Waldorf wasn't a good person. I see in her what she's afraid to let other people see and what people often overlook in her, her big heart. I know you don't understand it and I'm not asking you to. I just wanted to tell my father that I'm doing what you raised me to do. I'm following my heart. I ran away from my feelings for her once and I can't do it again.

After finally clicking the send button, Dan breathed a sigh of relief.

"How sweet, Dan Humphrey, back from writing love poems by the lake I presume," called out a woman's voice.

Dan's fingers froze on his keyboard. He knew that voice all too well.

As he turned his head, he saw a woman's figure emerge from the bedroom into his hotel's living room.

"Serena? What a surprise. Leave," said Dan.

"Wow, well thanks for the warm welcome Dan" replied Serena with hurt in her voice.

"Well I'm sorry Serena, it's not like I was expecting you to be here. How did you even get in my room anyways," asked Dan.

"I have my ways. Besides, I came to see you," whispered Serena seductively as she walked over to Dan's chair and started massaging his shoulders.

Dan jumped up off his seat and flung the leggy blonde's arms away. "Gosh Serena, what is with you?"

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry Dan. I just know why you're here and I wanted to help you –as a friend. You know how I feel about you, but you're also my friend and I'm worried about you and I don't want you to get hurt by someone like Blair Waldorf," replied Serena quickly.

Dan scanned Serena's face and he knew what he had to say to her. He had always been so careful towards Serena. He had always overlooked everything she did and always made himself available to her whenever she needed him and allowed himself to be her back-up boy toy. Serena had never been this aggressive towards him, this determined to get him back. Looking straight into her eyes, Dan firmly said, "Tell me Serena….is it possibly because you know that you lost me to Blair the reason why I'm suddenly so attractive and desirable to you."

"Please Dan, I didn't lose you to Blair. In case you've been out of the loop, she's kind of engaged to the Prince of Monaco, so she's not really yours, now is she?" smiled Serena.

Seeing that Dan had fallen silent, Serena continued on, "so, what's your plan anyways?"

"Well if you must know, I have a master diabolical plan of kidnapping Blair and running off with her to Russia," smirked Dan.

"Ha ha funny Dan. But seriously Dan, you're going to get hurt. She's not going to leave a prince for you. And I'm not trying to be vindictive or hurtful but I know Blair. She's not going to leave a prince for anyone, whether it's you, Chuck Bass, Nate or someone else. Prince Louis epitomizes everything she wanted, and he's got a royal title to boot," replied Serena.

She was started to soften when she saw how determined Dan was to proceed with whatever the heck he was trying to do about Blair. Chuck and Nate were off partying in different cities every night and it was obvious even to Serena that Chuck Bass had no regrets about letting Blair go, at least for the moment. Seeing Dan was silent, she spoke again while slowly walking towards him, "Dan, I love Blair and she's happy. Shouldn't you let her be happy? What do you think she's going to do after you tell her how you feel? It's not like she's going to jet back to New York with you."

"Oh I'm not telling her how I feel Serena," said Dan. Serena's face crumpled in extreme confusion and Dan smiled to himself, amused.

"Ok Dan…you lost me," Serena replied.

Dan got up slowly and walked over to his closet and put on a clean fresh shirt. Serena slowly sat down on the bed and watched Dan's reflection in the mirror as he began to put on a pink tie.

"I'm not going to tell her anything just yet. It's not my place to tell her anything. We never dated and I don't want to tell her out of nowhere how I feel about her. Plus, I don't want to tell her and then have her use my feelings as an excuse to get out of her engagement to Louis," began Dan.

Serena quickly cut him off with anger in her voice, "What is wrong with you? She doesn't want an out! Are you that delusional that you think she isn't freaking ecstatic to be with Louis and live out the fairy-tale she always wanted?"

"She loves Louis. But, she isn't in love with him. You may say you know Blair, but I know her too. And I know that Blair isn't happy. She thinks she should be happy because everything is going right, because everything is going according to her plan but she's miserable. If I tell her I have feelings for her, she might use it as an excuse to break off her engagement by telling Louis she wants to be with me and then she's going to dump me after two weeks. I'm not going to let Blair use me. After always being your second choice and your back-up, I finally want to be someone's first choice. So to wrap it up here, I'm not going to tell her I love her, I'm just going to show her that I do and I'll wait to tell her how I really feel until the timings absolutely right." Said Dan.

"Do you want my advice Dan?" Serena asked.

"Not really, but I have a feeling you're going to tell me anyways," Dan said.

"Go back to Brooklyn," she replied.

"Bye Serena. I have somewhere I need to be. And please make sure you're not here when I get back," Dan said. With that, he walked out of his hotel room without looking back.

As Dan sat in the back of the limo, he started tapping his fingers against the door. Watching the sunset swirl before him in shades of orange and purple, he began to feel that he couldn't breathe. He began to worry that he had just set himself up for disappointment. As the castle came into view, Dan's heart sank even lower, how would nights in his loft in Brooklyn compared to a castle complete with its own orchards? Silently, Dan was led through the twisting hallways through the castle, finally arriving into a room that he figured was a type of living room or receiving room. There in a loveseat with blue and green stripes sat Blair, in a gauzy and flowey rose colored gown. She was sitting with her back to Dan, unaware that he had entered the room.

He took a step forward and the wooden floor creaked slightly, without turning around, Blair called out "Louis?"

"Better….me," replied Dan mischievously.

Blair turned around and flashed Dan a warmer smile that she would have liked. Cautiously, Dan approached her and she slowly stood up and hugged him. "I must say Humphrey, you clean up quite nicely. Is that the tie I bought you from the pink party?" Blair asked.

"Well you said to dress appropriately and since you picked out this tie, I figured it already had your stamp of approval," Dan winked at her.

Blair's heart began to flutter. This wasn't part of the plan. She was suppose to see Dan and feel nothing. She wasn't suppose to stare into his eyes. She wasn't suppose to want to throw herself at him and start kissing him. They couldn't be alone so she grabbed his arm and started dragging him after her.

"Woah, Blair! I know you missed me but what will Louis say if you drag me off into a mysterious room," Dan said jokingly but secretly wishing it was true.

"Shut up Humphrey! There's a dinner here tonight and I figured it will look odd if I don't attend and then people find out later that I was entertaining a male friend," Blair snapped.

Throughout the whole night, Dan wouldn't resist watching Blair as she talked. She seemed to truly fit in. It was obvious that she was adored and almost like she was born to be a princess. Dan lowered his eyes and made a promise not to selfish with Blair. He couldn't try to pull her away from a life where she could become the "people's princess."

It hurt him too much to watch her, he turned and started walking over towards the garden. As he turned, he felt himself bump into someone else and felt their drink splash everywhere.

"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry, I can be clumsy sometimes," Dan said.

"It's quite all right young man. It's no problem at all. I don't believe we've been introduced. I'm Carver St. James," the man smiled warmly.

"I'm Daniel Humphrey. I am actually a friend of Blair Waldorf's. I'm visiting from New York so that explains why it looks like I don't fit in," replied Dan sheepishly.

Dan saw St. James' eyebrows raise.

"Oh…I wasn't aware that Miss Waldorf had friends visiting her here in Monaco," said St. James slowly.

"Well, she's not one to brag," replied Dan, a little uneasy with the way this person was staring him down.

"Daniel, take a walk with me. Let me show you some of the wonderful gardens here at the palace," said St. James, as he wrapped his arm around Dan's shoulders.

As they were silently walking outside, Dan actually thought Blair might be trying to off him.

"Daniel, I know you're probably a little confused…" started St. James.

"Um…no….just a little concerned I guess?" replied Dan.

"What are you doing in Monaco?" St. James straightforwardly asked.

"Oh well, I haven't been writing for a while and I thought I might get some inspiration in Europe and I decided to stop and visit Blair for a bit," replied Dan. He was beginning to get nervous, he felt that this man could see straight through him.

"Daniel, did you know that sometimes there is nothing harder in life than being happy for someone else?" St. Carver asked, with sympathy and regret in his voice.

"Sir, I don't mean to be rude, but this is kind of creeping me out," replied Dan.

"Blair told me you wrote that book, _Inside_. I've read a lot of literature to know when a writer is simply writing a story and when a man is writing about _his_ story. Plus, I man who knows what lost love means. I loved a girl who married one of my best friends, and I spent every day of my life pretending to be happy for them, when it was killing me inside. So, I understand you," said St. James, with his hand on Dan's shoulder.

"Why are you telling me this?" Dan asked nervously.

"Because I know you love Blair," started St. James.

"And you want to tell me to stop and be miserable the rest of my life?" asked Dan.

"No, I just wanted to tell you that one day, it will suddenly occur to Blair that Louis is not the right man for her," replied St. James.

"I just don't see how that can happen Sir. Blair deserves to be with someone like Louis. He is someone who is obviously destined for greatness, he was born into it! I'm someone who had one book published and have been ostracized by everyone I know and I don't know what my future holds for me. I'm not good enough for her, that became clear to me tonight when I saw her," Dan replied, with his head lowered.

Just as St. James was about to speak, Dan looked back up at him, "I'm in love with a woman I can never have. She changed my life. I never thought that one person could do that to you but she did. Every time I try to convince myself that I don't have feelings for her, they just keep coming back in waves. I lost my chance with her. I let her believe that I never had any real feelings for her and now it's too late. I was an idiot for letting her go but ignoring that I love her has made be a bigger idiot."

Dan stared up at the starry night in confusion. He had never been this open about his feelings for a girl, and to a complete stranger! He felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment and couldn't even turn his head when St. James started speaking again.

"Daniel, the past is always with us. If you give up on Blair now, it will haunt you forever. You just need to have hope, sometimes it's the smallest decision that will change your life forever," St. James said.

"Why are you telling me all this? You don't even know me?" Dan asked incredulously.

"Well Mr. Humphrey, let's just say I'm turning over a new leaf in my life. I've been a bitter man for a long time because of life's circumstances and I know you love this woman and I don't know if she loves you, but I know Louis isn't her soul-mate," St. James replied.

With that, both men walked back into the dining room and parted ways. Blair quickly rushed up to Dan and smacked him on his arm.

"OW BLAIR! What was that for?" he said.

"Why were you talking to Carver St. James?" Blair asked suspiciously.

"He started talking to me! Why do I have to explain my social agenda to you," he said.

"Why would he talk to you Humphrey?" Blair pressed.

"I don't know….maybe he thinks I'm pretty," Dan said.

Blair swung again, this time hitting Dan harder.

"Hey! Seriously? What is wrong with you? You used to be so sweet" Dan said sarcastically.

"I don't play well with others" Blair said haughtily.

"Hello Dan," Louis broke in.

"Louis!" squealed Blair and she jumped into his arms, "I wasn't expecting you tonight!"

"I couldn't stay away my darling. May I ask why you were arguing with Dan?" Louis asked with concern in his voice.

"Oh we weren't fighting Prince Louis," Dan started, "we just have a special volatile bond."

Blair shot his daggers with her eyes and Dan tried to stop himself from laughing.

"I'm actually visiting for a few days, I'm at a hotel nearby and have just been doing some sight-seeing," Dan continued.

"A hotel? Oh that won't do for one of Blair's friends. You must stay at the palace with us, we have more than enough room," Louis replied graciously.

"Oh no Louis, I'm sure Dan's more comfortable at his hotel. He's kind of a loner anyways," Blair quickly said.

"Actually your Highness, I would be honored to accept your invitation," Dan said.

As the night wore on, Louis and Blair mingled with their guests, as Dan watched from afar. Later in the night, as he was unpacking his suitcases, he froze as he heard Blair enter the room and say, "don't think I don't know what you're doing." Dan turned around and said, "and what is that?" With furrowed brows, Blair replied, "you know what." With that she flounced out of the room, leaving Dan alone with his thoughts.

-I tried writing a more Dan-centric chapter since a lot of my focus has been on Blair. Hope you guys like it


	7. First Confessions

**Chapter 9**

"Morning darling," whispered Dan sarcastically as he walked into Blair's dining room.

"I see you got my invitation for breakfast," said Blair as she munched on some toast.

"Yea I thought by "breakfast" you meant something else but I guess you really meant breakfast," Dan replied.

"Just for the record, you've never been more annoying," said Blair. She and Dan always exchanged banter between them before but he seemed different.

Suddenly, Dorota rushed into the room, "Miss Blair! Miss Blair! Have you forgotten about your dress appointment? You were suppose to be there half-an-hour ago! Princess Sophia is already there."

"Oh my goodness, Dan I'm sorry but I have to go," Blair said hurriedly.

"Ya….no," but before he could even say 'problem,' Blair was out the door.

Before he could finish his breakfast, his cell-phone began to ring.

"Dan? It's Serena. Listen, where are you? I went out into the city and when I came back, all your things were gone. Did you finally come back to your senses?" Serena said quickly between breaths.

"Actually Serena, I'm at staying at Blair's," Dan said carefully.

"What? Are you insane? I thought part of your plan was slowly winning Blair over," Serena shouted.

"Serena I really don't have time for this," Dan sighed. He was tired of Serena nagging him all the time.

Just as he was about to leave the table, Dorota burst back in. She informed him that she couldn't escort Blair to her dress appointment because the baby had a fever and he would have to chaperone Blair because Princess Sophia always required her to be supervised by someone trustworthy.

Later, we find Dan and Blair sitting alone together in the back of a limo in silence.

"Stop it Dan!" shouted Blair.

"Woman, what are you talking about?" Dan asked.

"You keep staring at me. Don't act like I don't see you," Blair hissed.

"Ok so I'm not allowed to talk to you and now I'm not even allowed to look at you?" Dan asked.

"Look at you, putting the pieces together, good for you!" Blair said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

They continued on in silence. Once they arrived at their destination, Blair ran inside and Dan walked slowly behind her. While she was in the back of the store, he began to play on his iPhone.

"Excuse me, Mr. Dan?" asked a timid employee.

"Yes? I'm Dan," replied Dan.

"Miss Waldorf is asking that you please come in back," she said.

Now Dan was confused. Blair had refused to have any type of communication with him during the whole car ride and now she wanted to see him? He walked into the alteration room.

"Dan?" Blair called out, "cover your eyes…..ok…..open them."

Dan opened his eyes and almost fell over. Standing before him was Blair in her wedding dress. Her dress was classic and glamorous at the same time. It wasn't strapless, Blair was too classy for a strapless wedding dress but it had these cap sleeves that showed off her adorable arms. She looked like cotton candy, but in a good way.

"Wow….." started Dan, not knowing what to say.

"Do you….like it?" Blair asked shyly, her eyes turning slightly pink.

"You're beautiful," Dan said, not thinking of anything else to say. He couldn't believe she was going to be Louis' wife.

"Dan…do you think Louis will like it?" Blair asked.

"Blair, I think Louis is going to take one look at you and realize that he is luckiest man on earth," Dan said.

He walked over and grabbed Blair's hand and caressed it between his own. He gently tucked a piece of loose hair behind her ear. She looked into his eyes and without realizing what she was doing, she began kissing Dan Humphrey.

As their lips touched, she felt Dan hesitate, but she deepened the kiss. Dan's hands became tangled in her hair and soon he was placing sweet delicate kisses on her neck. Blair broke away, "Dan, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. This never happened!"

Before he could even stop her, Blair disappeared. He waited in the waiting room for her, but after an hour passed, he grew worried. He decided to take a walk outside but as soon as he got outside, he noticed the limo was gone and he realized that Blair had left without him. Across the street, he saw Serena, gloating with glee. He made his way over to her.

"Gosh, you're still here?" Dan asked.

"You know, this whole 'pretending' to hate me is a little silly Dan," Serena replied.

"Who's pretending?" Dan snapped back bitterly.

"What happened with Blair?" Serena asked innocently, "actually, never mind, I'll ask her myself tonight."

"Tonight, what do you mean tonight?" Dan asked in confusion.

"Well I called Blair up and told her I came to visit her so she naturally invited me to stay at the palace. I am the maid-of-honor you know, it's my duty to be by her side," Serena replied.

"I really don't know what you're up to but I suggest you limit your meddling. I'm going to tell her how I feel today, so I'd appreciate your absence," Dan said snottily.

"Dan…what do you think she's going to say when you make this huge declaration of love," Serena asked concerned. As much as she wanted Dan to herself, she also didn't want to see him hurt.

"I think she has feelings for me so I'm expecting at least a 'I don't hate you that much Humphrey' from her," Dan said

"You're asking the truth from somebody who's probably never given it," Serena said quietly.

"So you think she has feelings for me?" Dan said.

"I never said that Dan," she replied.

"You said Blair isn't going to tell me the truth. So you believe she's going to lie about the feelings she has for me," Dan said happily.

"Dan you're just hearing what you want to hear. I think Blair is going to reject you and leave you heartbroken. The truth hurts," she said, "so….as long as we're both going to the palace, you want to head back with me?" she asked sweetly.

"Seeing as I really don't have a choice….ya," he replied.

Dan was not the type to get carsick but during the limo ride back, he felt like fiber that was capable of hurting was exploding with pain. To make things worse, he could see Serena smiling out of the corner of his eye.

"Dan….I can help you with Blair if you want," Serena began.

"I don't want your help and I don't need and honestly Serena, I have no reason to even trust you," Dan responded in confusion.

"That's incredibly stupid of you," she snapped back.

"Serena I don't know what game you're playing but I'm not interested. If I'm going to make a fool out of myself, I'm sure I can manage on my own," Dan said.

He saw the palace come into view and he was full of relief. He could finally spend time away from Serena and plan what he was going to say to Blair tonight. Deep down, he knew Serena was right. Blair might have feelings for him but she couldn't leave Louis for him. But, she just had to know.

**Later that night…**

Dan had searched through the whole palace for Blair but had been unable to find her. On the bright side, he hadn't bumped into Serena. Feeling frustrated, he decided to just go to sleep and deal with Blair the next day. After what felt like hours of tossing and turning, he finally got to sleep, only to be awoken by a panicked girl shaking him.

"Dan? Dan? Wake up!" Blair shouted.

"B-Blair? What are you doing? Do you know what time it is," Dan said half-asleep.

"We need to talk," she responded.

"And this couldn't wait until morning when my brain is actually functioning properly?" Dan asked.

"I'm sorry about that thing that happened today," Blair whispered with her eyes lowered.

"You mean when you couldn't resist me and just had to kiss me," Dan teased.

"Dan I'm being serious. I shouldn't have done that and I wanted to apologize and ask if you could please not tell anyone about it. I need you to promise me," Blair asked, with eyes full of fear.

"Blair…I need you to look me in the eyes and tell me why you kissed me," Dan said firmly.

Blair was taken aback. She expected Dan to laugh it off and maybe give her a little bit of a hard time, not ask what state her emotions where in. It's like she had planned on kissing him. He was there, and he was Dan, and she had really missed him. She didn't think it would be that hard being in Monaco and leaving Dan behind in New York.

"Dan…I just have wedding jitters. Plus, that kiss meant nothing. We've kissed twice before and none of those times meant anything," Blair said with determination, half-trying to convince herself that it was true.

"Don't you think it's ironic that we keep saying our kisses mean nothing but somehow we find ourselves repeating them? You do know a kiss always means something," Dan replied.

"No it didn't!" Blair said.

"Well it did to me. Every kiss we shared meant something to me. Blair, there are certain people who are not meant to fit into your life, no matter how much you want them to. That's what Serena represents to me. Then, there are people who you think aren't meant to fit into your life, but your life isn't complete without them. That's what YOU represent to me. I never thought I would want you Blair, but I do. I want all of you, the good and the bad parts," Dan said, baring his soul.

In the saddest voice he had ever heard, Blair replied, "you can't feel that way about me," her eyes full of tears.

"Blair, you can't tell me how me how to feel! I'm tired of people deciding who I'm not good for or who I'm too good for. I know there's a part of you that cares for me, even if you don't want to admit it and I think you're lying to yourself if you deny it. I know I can't offer you what Louis can, but I can love you the best way I know how. I know you love him, but I don't think you love him enough to spend the rest of your life with him," Dan said.

"And you honestly think we can love each other so much that we'd be willing to punish ourselves by spending the rest of our lives together, knowing we'd drive each other crazy every day?" Blair said.

"It's a punishment I would gladly take," Dan said, as he reached out to grab Blair's hand.

Blair stood up silently. Dan watched her with widened eyes, would she kiss or kill him? She leaned over, gave him a kiss on the cheek and simply said goodbye.

She walked out of the room and started heading back to her own, not realizing Princess Sophia was in a silk robe in a dark corner, studying her every step.


	8. A Big Secret or two

"MORNING," Serena squealed as she jumped on and down on Dan's bed.

"What? Serena? Is this really necessary?" Dan said groggily.

"Yup….I just had to see you," she said, beaming.

"Do I want to know why?" he groaned.

"Well I figured since Blair is all busy today with wedding stuff, we could spend the day together. We could go exploring. I'm craving ice cream, aren't you craving ice cream? And then we could find a cute little bistro and just hang out a bit," Serena said hurriedly, tripping over her words.

"Ok," he said.

"Come on Dan, you never do anything fun anymore! Wait….did you say yes?" she replied in confusion.

"Yea…I need to get some space from everything's that's happened," he said.

"Did something happen with Blair?" Serena asked with widened eyes.

"Let's just say I think things went in ….an….. interesting direction," he said slowly.

"Well since I can tell you aren't going to tell me anything, just promise me you won't see her today," Serena said.

"Alright, I promise. I'm going to get ready and we can head out," he said.

"Serena-and-Dan-day" was in full force. Serena mistakenly thought Dan had agreed to spend the day with her because he had feelings for her again. The poor thing didn't know Dan just couldn't be around Blair too soon because it was too painful.

Meanwhile, while Serena and Dan were roaming the streets of Monaco, Blair was a nervous wreck at the palace. She had to consult with the seamstress to finalize the sketches for the bridesmaid dresses. Then she had a consultation with the kitchen staff to sample some dishes that were in consideration for the wedding banquet. Then there was the little task of a seating chart. Sitting 700 was no easy feat, especially when you had to make sure to separate squabbling royals and dignitaries.

And to top it off, she couldn't stop thinking about Dan. He had been right; she did have feelings for him. The first time they ever kissed, she felt acceptance, something that she never got from Nate or Chuck. Every time Nate kissed her, she felt his heart was off somewhere else. Every time Chuck kissed her she never felt like he was completely in love with her. But with Dan, he had kissed her like he had wanted it to be his last first kiss. She had spent a week in bed, weighing the pros and cons of becoming "Dair." In the end, she decided Dan and Serena were meant to be and was meant to be with Chuck, because she was damaged and needed to be with someone equally damaged. After Chuck had pulled off that annoying stunt with Dan, she decided to cool off and explore her feelings for Dan, and that's when Prince Louis came in. What normal girl would refuse a prince? Blair began to lose herself even deeper within her thoughts and remembered the old familiar phrase, "love conquers all." True words, but love can't conquer anything if it isn't in a relationship in the first place. She had to marry Louis, she had come too far, that had to mean something right? If she wasn't suppose to marry Louis, something would have happened to keep them apart.

Hours and hours passed and Blair's thoughts were still bouncing all over the place. She was so concentrated that she didn't realize Dan and Serena had been missing for hours.

Unbeknownst to Blair, Dan and Serena had returned from their little adventure and were heading to his room.

"So admit it, you had fun with me today Dan," Serena said with doe eyes.

"We had fun as friends –nothing more. Let's get clear," Dan said firmly.

"So what are we going to do tonight? Snoop through the palace kitchen?" Serena asked playfully.

"I'm going to go hang out with Blair tonight," Dan replied.

"What? You promised me you weren't going to see her today Dan!" Serena shouted.

"No, I promised you I wasn't going to her today. It's tonight. Day? Night? See how I did that there?" Dan replied.

"Fine. Mess up your life. I have better things to do than witness a train wreck," Serena sniped back. She tossed her hair over her shoulder, grabbed her turquoise Marc Jacobs bag, and stormed out and headed back to her room.

Dan waited a few moments to make sure she was really gone and headed over to Blair's apartment in the palace. After Dorota let him in, he waited in Blair's private living room until she came to join him.

"Well hello my little unwanted houseguest," Blair said sarcastically.

"Oh hi Blair! How are you? I'm great, thanks for asking," Dan answered back, just as sarcastically.

"What are you 12?" Blair asked.

"Eternally," Dan replied.

"So what are you doing here anyways?" Blair finally asked.

"I came here to see you. We need to talk," he said.

"I'd rather poke my eyes out," she snapped back.

"Because of my blinding beauty?" Dan teased.

"Well it's certainly not your personality," she said.

"So then you do find me attractive," he smiled back.

"Dan, just get out with it," she sighed, "why did you want to see me?"

"I guess I've grown accustomed to your face," Dan answered.

"Dan, I'm serious. You either tell me what you came here to say or you leave. I don't have time for your little games "Mr. Chuck-Bass-2.0," she said angrily.

"Sorry Blair. I wasn't trying to mess with you, I just was joking around because I'm kind of…" Dan started.

"Spit it out!" Blair said.

"Blair, like I told you, I want to be with you. But I came to tell you that I understand your reasons for not wanting to be with me," Dan said sadly.

All of a sudden, Blair jumped on him and started kissing him but she jumped back just as quickly. "Gosh," she thought to herself, "what was it about Dan that she kept having these urges to kiss him?"

After a long moment of silence, Dan finally said "ok….I'm a little confused…are you using me as a boy toy?"

"What?" Blair asked.

"I'm not going to be your distraction from Louis. You can't be with both us," he said.

"Dan…I do have feelings for you but I need a few days to figure out some things out," she answered honestly.

"Ok Blair, take all the time you need," he answered. He quickly left the room before she could have second thoughts.

As he was rushing out, he smacked into Serena. Before he could say anything, she placed her hands over his mouth and dragged him into his bedroom.

"If you're trying to seduce me, it isn't going to work Serena," Dan said.

"Dan I didn't want to do this, but there's something you should know," she said seriously.

"Ok…" Dan replied.

"The night of the party at Constance, there was something on Gossip Girl. There were sightings of Chuck and Blair at a Bar Mitzvah. I figured someone had made that up as a joke and sent it as a blast to Gossip Girl because the idea of Chuck and Blair at a Bar Mitzvah was random and when I mentioned it to Blair as a joke, she broke down crying and told me she and Chuck slept together that night and she wanted to leave Louis for him but Chuck said she was better off with Louis," Serena said.

"Serena, I consider both you and Gossip Girl to be notorious unreliable sources," Dan said.

"Dan, I'm serious. Why would I make something like this up?" she answered.

"Because you've tried to mess up things for Blair before! Why is this any different?" Dan cried out in exasperation.

"Dan, I'm sorry if I put a kink in your diabolical plan of winning Blair over but you needed to know before you got hurt. It's always been Chuck and Blair, Blair and Chuck. Chuck will always be it for her and you need to realize that and just accept the fact that you and Blair will never work," she said.

"Get out," Dan said. Serena didn't budge so Dan took her by her arm, dragged her out, and locked the door behind her.

Meanwhile, Blair was sitting on her bed. She took a look around her room. Everything was beautiful and majestic (it was a palace after all), but it was also cold and lifeless at the same time. She didn't know if she and Dan were meant to be together quite just yet but she knew she couldn't spend her life with a perfect man because she was too busy falling in love with an imperfect man.


	9. Letting it all out

**Sorry I haven't updated for a while! I've had writer's block and been busy with summer school such….hope you guys enjoy this new chapter!**

Looking around her, Blair took a mental picture of the room was in. She turned to her vanity and saw the elegant vintage metalwork on the chair. She gazed at her armoire and began counting how many tiny rose petals were painted on it. Plopping down on her bed, she laid on her back and stared up at her ceiling. Louis has commissioned an artist to replicate items from Monet's paintings on the ceiling. The longer she stared at it, the more the colors began to merge into a shade of the purest blue she had ever seen.

It might sound cliché, but it was the type of room fit for a princess. It was everything she dreamed of, and today was the day she would give it all up. She would give it for a Brooklyn loft that had a permanent waffle stench and a weird garage-door type thing built into the loft. Instead of starting at a Monet, she would be staring at the Cedric, the Cabbage Patch doll. Instead of having a lavish breakfast buffet every morning, she would be eating leftover perogis with Dan because they would be too lazy to cook. She smiled to herself, today was the day she would be free.

"Hey Blair," Serena chirped as she walked into the room, disrupting Blair's daydreams.

"Serena…we need to talk," Blair started seriously, "there's no easy way to say this so I'm just going to let it all out. Dan told me he came to Monaco to see me. And not just to see me, but to win me. And as much as I tried to fight it, I just couldn't do it anymore. I know this might sound weird, but I want Dan Humphrey! I need you to really listen to me Serena. Everything with Louis happened so fast and he offered me what I've been working towards for my whole life: power. Do you have any idea the things I could do in this world as a princess? As a queen? As much as I tried to convince myself I loved Louis, it just wasn't enough. I was in a cage that I had built myself. I've learned love is more important than titles. And I know I told you before that there was nothing going on between me and Dan, but know I really want it to be."

"Ok….so….are you like asking that I give you and Dan permission to be together or something?" Serena asked.

"Kind of, I don't want to hurt you but I've always looked for love in the wrong places and I just….I just….I just want Dan!" Blair exclaimed.

"You know what Blair…. I think you're being selfish. You cheat on Louis with Chuck, now you're leaving Louis for Dan. I don't think you know what you want and I don't think you should use Dan for your newest romantic experience," Serena said.

"How can you think I haven't thought this through? You don't think I know everything I'm giving up? I know the minute I tell Louis the engagement is off, I can never place that engagement ring on my finger again," Blair said.

"Blair, you have my permission to date Dan," Serena smiled. Blair's heart was elated with the news, but, little did she know that Serena thought Dan wouldn't want her because of the little gossip he had heard about her rendezvous with Chuck.

Blair reached over and hugged Serena. "S, you have noooooooo idea how happy I am! Louis wanted be to be this person I could never be and I'm tired to pretending."

Dorota walked in and told Blair that Louis was coming to see her and Blair quickly rushed Serena out of the room.

"Blair, my dear," said Louis and he walked over to Blair and kissed her hand, "I've missed you so much! I do apologize for being away from you for so long."

"Louis….we need to talk," Blair said.

"Blair, if I am not mistaken, this line 'we need to talk' is considered a bad thing in American circle?"Louis inquired.

"There's no easy way to say this but…" Blair quickly said.

Before she could deliver her break-up line, Louis jumped in.

"But you love Dan," he said with pain in his eyes.

"How could you even know that?" Blair asked in astonishment.

"Because I love you. You watch the one you love. Your face never lights up when I enter a room, but you have a glow everything Dan is around you. You look at me and it feels like you look right through me, but your eyes appear to be dancing when you talk to Dan, even if you're just arguing. I tried to be angry about it but instead I became angry with myself that I couldn't see this coming. Eventually I came to realize that no matter how hard I fought for your love, you would never love me unconditionally. Even though you've hurt me, I really do want you to be happy."

"Louis, you have to believe me when I say that I never expected it to end up like this," Blair said, as silent tears rolled down her porcelain cheeks.

"I know Blair, I know" Louis replied as he kissed her tears away, "can you just answer one question for me? Have you been intimate with Dan during our engagement?"

"I kissed him, but only to see if there was anything there. I thought I was getting cold feet and just wanted to make sure, but it stopped there," she replied.

"Okay Blair. I'm sorry to say this, but you will have to be out of here by tonight, my mother wouldn't approve of you staying after she finds out the engagement is off. I'll inform her of our separation after you have left with Serena and Dan," Louis said.

Louis silently left anymore. It hurt him to even look and Blair and he didn't even know what he would tell his mother. Before he could even _start_ thinking about that dreaded conversation, he bumped into his mother in the long corridor and she silently took his hand in hers and led him towards an empty room nearby.

"Well played Louis. That foolish girl completely believed you," Princess Sophia beamed with pride.

"Well I fed her the whole 'true love is not real unless it's returned' spiel and she completely bought it," Louis replied.

Together, son and mother sat down, re-hashing how they were going to deal with Little-Miss-Blair –Waldorf.

"And then…..when the media asks you how you feel about Blair's death…." Sophia started.

"I'll say I'm devastated I lost my fiancé and am upset that our mutual dear friend Dan Humphrey was also involved in that deadly car crash," Louis smiled.

"And who said only England could pull off a Princess Diana conspiracy?" Sophia asked, trying to contain her giggles.

**Hope you guys liked it! I'm working on the next chapter already!**


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